Watch highlights of Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Nicolas Mahut reaching the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open doubles final. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
Novak Djokovic is disappointed to lose in his bid to defend his Mutua Madrid Open title, but was full of praise for Rafael Nadal after their semi-final match on Saturday. The Serbian went in with a seven-match win streak against the Spaniard, but struggled to find answers to Nadal’s powerful baseline hitting in their record 50th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Djokovic admitted afterwards that it would have been difficult to oust Nadal even if he were in peak form. “Rafa was obviously a better player today. He deserved to win. He was controlling the game from beginning to the end,” said Djokovic. “His quality was very high and he managed to do whatever he wanted, especially in the first set....
Watch Rafael Nadal nail the no-look backhand overhead smash on Saturday against Novak Djokovic at the Mutua Madrid Open. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
Watch highlights of Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem advancing to the Mutua Madrid Open final on Saturday. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
Rafael Nadal claimed an emphatic victory on Saturday over Novak Djokovic to book a spot in the Mutua Madrid Open final. The Spaniard turned in a masterclass performance in his home capital, securing a 6-2, 6-4 win over his longtime rival. Meeting for an unprecedented 50th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, Nadal dented Djokovic's recent run of dominance, notching his first victory since the 2014 Roland Garros final. A hyper-aggressive Nadal refused to concede an inch from the baseline, firing 20 winners, including seven off his backhand wing. The four-time Madrid champion improved to 14-0 in clay-court matches this season, advancing to the final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event for the seventh time in nine...